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 GoodThings on Public Radio July 12, 2001 We want to hear from you. What's the best public radio story or show you heard this past week? Share. If you want to listen, you'll need RealPlayer on your computer. (If you don't already have it, it's a FREE download.) Visit Real Networks. FRIDAY, July 6 | The Best Medicine Lorraine Johnson-Coleman celebrates the unique brand of humor she shares with fellow African-American women. She says the humor gets its material from "livin', lyin', cryin', complainin', teachin', and preachin'," but she says that instead of reinforcing harmful stereotypes and assumptions about African-Americans, the laughter she shares with the women around her offers loving insights on life and provides a light-hearted way to examine the ways of society. [Morning Edition] Listen (length of clip 2 min 53 sec). SATURDAY, July 7 | Taking a Chance for Good Filmmaking In recent years, independent films have gained an increasingly large audience, thanks to the success of movies like Sling Blade, Croupier, and You Can Count on Me. But now the production company that brought such films to the big screen has decided to call it quits. Since its birth in a small New York loft space, the Shooting Gallery had worked for ten years to gain exposure for obscure films by creating opportunities to screen those films in major theater spaces for limited two-week runs in the hopes that word of mouth and critical acclaim would generate a lucrative buzz. Even in collapse, the Shooting Gallery will be remembered for the way it infused creativity, energy, and diversity into filmmaking. [Weekend Edition Saturday] Listen (7:45). SUNDAY, July 1 | All That Jazz For many music lovers in Soviet era Russia and eastern Europe, Willis Conover was truly the voice of America. Indeed, Conover's soothing baritone was heard by Russians on Voice of America radio six nights a week for 42 years. His Jazz Hour was literally "appointment radio," exposing hundreds of millions worldwide to the spirited sounds of American jazz and inspiring many Russian musicians to explore jazz on their own. Conover's show provided the only opportunity for many to hear and record jazz music, since Soviet leaders were suspicious of the music as a symbol of freedom and possibility. [Weekend Edition Sunday] Listen (6:00). MONDAY, July 2 | Apples of Their Eyes Many Mexican-Americans are beginning to realize a lifelong dream of owning land -- and farms -- in the United States. In the Pacific Northwest, the prices of apples, cherries, and other area fruits have fallen significantly, making it difficult for many large landowners to continue owning and operating farms. It's created opportunities for former migrant farmworkers of Mexican descent, many of whom had saved nickels and dimes for years and years, to own and manage their own fruit farm operations. Local educational programs are training new landowners in the basics of business management. The future success of these farms, though, may result from frugality, resourcefulness, and the presence of willing extended families. [Morning Edition] Listen (5:26). TUESDAY, July 3 | Motown Moving Up Inspired by other Midwestern urban renaissances, decision-makers in Detroit are banking on the fact that improvements in the local public school system will serve to benefit the urban area as a whole. The mayor's office now controls the city's 268 schools and has hired a CEO, not a superintendent, to use hard numbers to measure results. In running the system as a business, the CEO hopes to be able to streamline budgets and implement a nine-school building plan, in addition to stemming one of the nation's worst dropout rates (48%) and ever declining student, teacher, and parent morale. At the heart of this new approach is a desire to restore hope to people associated with Detroit's schools and the city as a whole. [Morning Edition] Listen (5:06). WEDNESDAY, July 4 | A Rebirth of Language The former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan is set to begin using its third new alphabet in a century. During the Communist era, the Azeri Latin alphabet was outlawed and all but lost in the interest of using a common Cyrillic alphabet throughout the USSR. Now, independent for ten years, Azerbaijanis are returning to the old ways in an effort to better integrate into the global community, but are facing a serious challenge in the process. An entire nation is, in essence, learning to read a language it has previously only heard spoken. It's also faced with the possible task of reprinting all books and other documents in Azeri Latin, inspiring some to consider using technological solutions to expedite change. [Morning Edition] Listen (3:59). [ : previous week : ] WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. Did we miss a good public radio story this week? Want to recommend one for next week? Share it with us! |
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